Police told Savile victim she would be 'mincemeat'

Police dissuaded one of Jimmy Savile's victims from giving evidence against
him by telling her he was a “big celebrity” who would make “mincemeat” out
of her in court, according to an official report.

By Steven Swinford and Gordon Rayner

9:13PM GMT 11 Jan 2013

The woman, who was molested by Savile in a caravan in the 1970s, made a complaint to Sussex Police in 2008 but later decided not to proceed because police told her she would be “all over the newspapers”.

Detectives failed to tell her she would be granted anonymity and that three other women had come forward with similar allegations against Savile.

Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, yesterday apologised to victims and admitted police and prosecutors missed a series of opportunities to bring him to justice. He said there was sufficient evidence at the time to mount a “strong case” against him .

It came as the Metropolitan Police released a report disclosing Savile’s “unprecedented” campaign of abuse over 54 years, including new allegations that he had attacked a patient in a hospice and even used the final edition of Top of the Pops to commit crimes.

Commander Peter Spindler, who is heading the Operation Yewtree inquiry into abuse by Savile and others, said the former Jim’ll Fix It presenter, who died in 2011 aged 84, had “groomed a nation”. He said 450 victims had come forward, though the true number could be “far higher”.

Prosecutors also published details of a police interview with Savile in 2009, in which he told two female police officers that they would “finish up at the Old Bailey” unless allegations against him “disappeared”.

DS David Gray, who led the inquiry, said: “He has spent every minute of every working day thinking about this. Whenever an opportunity came along he took it. He picked on vulnerable victims and he was clever enough to choose people who he knew would not speak out.”

Deputy chief Constable Giles York, from Sussex Police, said that “experienced and committed” officers had “acted in good faith” but the force “could have done better. Surrey Police apologised to victims and said the force “could have done more” to support them.